The present invention relates generally to an art-supporting apparatus intended for use by children. More particularly, the present invention relates to an easily portable easel and related art-support and work surfaces, integrated into a carrying case for art supplies. The device has two artwork surfaces, a) an inclined surface for drawing, painting, sketching etc. on paper secured thereto or by use of markers on the whiteboard surface of the inclined surface and b) a separate, horizontal work surface. The horizontal, second artwork supporting surface may also be used for a child""s artwork, e.g., fingerpaints, pencils or charcoal on paper secured or upon the second surface or chalk, crayons or other writing instruments can be used directly on the writing side of the horizontal surface. The device is thus quite versatile in that it allows a child to use a variety of artistic media. When the art activity is finished, the device easily folds into an art supply carrying case which is easily transported by a simple handle.
Importantly, the portable easel with multiple work surfaces and integrated carrying case for art supplies covers a minimum of tabletop surface area. This is especially important when one appreciates that children using the device may be traveling in a car, on a boat, train, bus or airplane. A child""s available lap or the sometimes present fold-down tables in those listed environments are quite limited in surface area such that a compact yet versatile device is welcome by parents and children. As will be more fully explained hereinafter, the device is desirably molded from lightweight, colorful plastic components.
Portable art supply cases with integrated easels, even those which are made of lightweight plastic for children, are commercially available. They provide an inclined plane for supporting artwork. The easel support may be folded or stored into the integrated carrying case for artistic supplies. However, one such device, available from Binney and Smith under the CRAYOLA trademark and model name: Portable Tabletop Easel, merely provides a single work surface, the inclined easel, and has a sliding drawer for the art supplies. The sliding drawer is disadvantageous because it necessitates more surface area than a simple container for the art supplies where the child can access the supplies by merely reaching therein. In addition, the prior art does not teach nor suggest a portable easel (art support surface) and integrated art supply carrying case having both inclined and horizontal work surfaces such that the child can use a variety of media for artwork, with two or more pieces of artwork being available for visual display thereon. The present invention, as will be explained, has multiple work surfaces, one inclined and one horizontal for allowing the child to use different media. The child may display the same, easily and conveniently. Also, the present invention provides the multiple art work surfaces within the context of an integrated bin-type (in contrast to a sliding drawer) art supply container. This reduces the surface area needed for access to the art supplies.
Also, by eliminating the sliding drawer of the Binney and Smith device, a separate plastic part is eliminated with its incident cost. The component parts of the present invention are all connected together such that one cannot become disengaged from the others and fall or become lost whereas the sliding drawer of the Binney and Smith device is a separate part which can be easily dropped by a child or separated from the device. The integration of all pieces has clear advantages.
There are many portable easels that are used by children and which allow children to carry art supplies within the carrying case attached to such easels. However, the prior art easels known to applicant have disadvantages, such as mentioned above. Generally, the prior art does not efficiently use available tabletop space and/or does not provide, as the present invention, both an inclined and horizontal artwork surface, e.g., an inclined easel also supplying a magnetic board or whiteboard surface and a horizontal surface which supports paper and is useful for writing or drawing thereon. The present invention provides many of the features just described in an efficient, economical and simple manner.
The invention relates to a device intended to provide an artistic work surface to a child which is integrated with a carrying case for associated art supplies. The portable easel portion, i.e., the inclined artwork surface may be quickly and easily folded into and erected from a carrying case for art supplies. The easel aspect of the device is an inclined surface for supporting paper for artwork. In addition, the easel is a magnetic whiteboard, allowing the child to draw directly thereon with suitable erasable whiteboard markers or to use magnetic letters/number/characters. Thus, the easel is quite versatile.
The carrying case may also be provided with a separate, substantially horizontal artwork surface for displaying or creating artwork thereon. This surface, too, can hold paper for drawing, painting, sketching, etc. In addition, the horizontal work surface can have a blackboard surface for chalk-based artwork. Here, too, a versatile device is provided with added play value for a child. The device is made such that both the slanted easel and the horizontal artwork surface are quickly accessible. Thus, the child can work on two art projects, -one after the other. Also, by having two artwork surfaces quickly accessible, two children can use a single device, each drawing or creating his or her own art project. This, too, is quite efficient and advantageous.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a portable easel, i.e., an inclined or slanted work surface support for children""s artwork, integrated into an art supply carrying case. The easel and a horizontal, second work surface are sufficiently lightweight to allow them to be folded into and erected from a portable carrying case and, yet, provide support for art projects.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a portable easel that is integrated into a carrying case and which may be used to carry children""s art supplies.
It is a further object of an embodiment of the invention to provide an easel for supporting paper for an art project which easel also allows a child to use erasable markers on the whiteboard portion of the easel. Also, as mentioned, it is an object of the present invention for the whiteboard of the easel to be magnetic so that magnetic pieces may be used by the child, too.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide the device with both an inclined artwork surface, the easel and magnetic whiteboard, along with a separate horizontal surface for creating or displaying artwork. As mentioned, the separate horizontal artwork surface can support paper for art projects and, in addition, can be a board for use with art or writing instruments.
It is an object of the present invention to provide two separate artwork support surfaces, one inclined and one horizontal, both easily accessible by a child so that a child can use one of the support surfaces of the device without impacting on the other artwork surface. It is also an object of the present invention to provide two artwork surfaces, at least one of which is horizontally supported during use, the other preferably selectively inclined, which can be alternatively used by a child.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide two artwork supporting work surfaces of different types, i.e., one paper supporting, the other either a whiteboard, a blackboard, a magnetic board and/or a paper supporting surface. Preferably, each of the supporting artwork surfaces has multiple characteristics. For example, the inclined surface can hold paper and be a magnetic whiteboard. The other artwork supporting surface can be used horizontally and can be a paper holding surface and/or a blackboard or other art surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an integrated carrying case and two artwork supporting surfaces which provide visual and work support surfaces for multiple art mediums. The device is intended to be used by a child.
Other objects advantages and features of this invention will become more apparent hereinafter.